AWD - isn't it supposed to be good?

[min]

my son got stuck in a driveway last week, that sloped and had snow on it. isn't AWD supposed to be good in the snow? Or are Subaru's different that way. I asked my mechanic and he said that he has never had problems with AWD in Subaru's. Is this a SVX issue?

[Earthworm]

There are a few issues with the AWD system in the 4EAT.

- the clutches either bind or wear out
- the solenoid can stick
- the clutch drum can sheer off

When it's working it works great though. Don't forget the SVX is a heavy car and will still have troubles with icy inclines if you don't have winter tires.

[rallyingrob]

there MUST be soemthing wrong with the car's awd....

mine can do full throttle launches on wet loose gravel and BARElY spin the tires...

the svx is faster accelerating on gravel than any car i've ever owned on dry pavement!!

rob"i guess i've owned NUTHIN but slow junk til now"m.

lol

[min]

my son put the fuse in and the FWD light did come on. i have read all that people have said on earlier threads, but i need to know what i ask the mechanic when i take it in. sol. c? i am a girl and really this is all above my head. please, can someone tell me quite simply what i should be saying to the mechanic? without offending him? because i really don't know what i'm talking about. thanks for any help you can give to me.

[Suby Fan]

you can start with telling him/her whats wrong with your car most mechanics arnt offened by that, and tell your son to stay out of the hood unless he knows what he is doing

[drivemusicnow]

First thing first, look at what tires are on the car.

I'm serious. If the car doesn't have a good all season tire it won't be able to do much of anything in the snow. I know, I had "summer only" performance tires on my car the first time it snowed. Let me tell you, it wasn't all that fun sliding around on my entire drive to work. If they are summer only tires than you should try and pick up a set of cheap wheels (winter wheels so they could be stock, steel wheels, or aftermarket ones) and a set of dedicated snow tires.

A lot of people will scoff at this and say why in the world would I need two sets of tires, and let me tell you... Those people have never driven a car with dedicated snow tires. They are amazing (by the way, I ordered some two days after our big snow here in chicago), as well as freeing up your summer tires to offer better performance as well. you don't "lose" money this way, as you can stretch each tire almost twice as many years as you would an all season, because you're using them only half as much.

Also, the SVX has a very good AWD system, however it is a bit outdated. Newer cars have slightly more advanced traction control systems, as well as better differentials to split the power. On an SVX if you're in really slick ice you could have only one front and one rear tire spinning. Theoretically both rears should spin, and most often will, however occasionaly (due to the type of differential) the lack of grip that one tire has is SOO bad that it can spin without the other tire getting any power.

An SVX with summer tires will EASILY get stuck on an incline with snow (believe me, I would know). Put on a good set of all seasons, or dedicated snow tires and you shouldn't have that problem. I think that this is much more likely than your differentials being damaged.

[NiftySVX]

The Transfer control solenoid (duty solenoid c) may sticking. I've seen this a couple of times, once in one of my cars. Take it to a Subaru dealership (as you always should, they have the info and the tools required to test it) and ask them to do a pressure check for the transfer circuit. That is how I diagnosed mine. You can also turn the ignition to on and listen for the solenoid, but this is very hard to do if you don't know what it is supposed to sound like.

[dcarrb]

Originally Posted by drivemusicnow

First thing first, look at what tires are on the car.

And to that I would add: It's possible to become stuck in any perfectly-functioning AWD or 4WD vehicle. There's a very good chance that there's nothing wrong with the car. If the tires are appropriate for the conditions, simply ask your mechanic to check the operation of the AWD system.

dcb

[msvx95]

Tell mechanic to test Duty Solenoid C and make sure they can test activating and deactivating the AWD system by adding and removing the AWD fuse in the Engine fusebox. Mechanic can tell you if the AWD is working.
I would also have them check for AWD binding if it does exist....this may happen if Solenoid C is malfunctioning

[ItsPeteReally]

It's impossible to give any helpful feedback from the information you have given.

At the very minimum we need to know which wheels were spinning.

If neither of the rear wheels were spinning you have a gearbox problem, if only one rear wheel was spinning you still have a problem, but it's not a gearbox problem.

Without this information everybody is guessing.

[Crazy_pilot]

Originally Posted by drivemusicnow

First thing first, look at what tires are on the car.....

I definitely second that opinion. One thing: DO NOT keep one set of rims and get your winter/summer tires swapped on/off those rims every year. While having two sets of tires on two sets of rims drastically increases the life of both sets, changing them drastically decreases the life of both. Trust me, I've worked in a tire shop. Tire changing machines are rough and aggressive, and can easily damage both the tire bead and the rim. Spend the extra money on rims, you'll save massively in the long run. You can buy the cheap black steels if you want.

One last bit, tires that are 55 series profile or less get difficult to mount on rims. It might be better to visit a specialized tire shop over a local do-it-all place, simply because they'll have better machines and more knowledgable personel.

[wannarace928]

The AWD is really good on these cars, but I had a bad set of tires when I first bought my SVX and it couldnt even stay on the road with a little water on the road. It would slide all over the place. I bought a really good set of all weather tires for it and its really great in snow, rain and ice now.

[rallyingrob]

+1 to chris' comments re: tire shops
i worked in the tire biz for years and can vouch for how easy it is for an un-trained person to mess it all up

if you can, seek out any shop(s) in your area that work on performance cars/ race cars etc...

generally, these shops will have the experience to deal with stock rims without harming them....

in my past life i was the guy who did all the performance/race work....

i just wish that particular career path was more lucrative!!

'cuz it sure was fun !!

(got to go to various race/rallys etc as a tire tech)

[min]

i do have a set of rims. i bought tires in the summer for the rims. i put the set of tires that came with the car on for winter. they were only a year old, so i was told. but one of them was bad, so they put on a used tire that matched in tread wear. i am sorry i haven't given more info. i am getting these reports from my son who drives the car. i have an appointment with the subaru dealer on thursday morning. thank you all. you have given me a place to start. i have a feeling i'll be looking at a set of tire. all four, right?

[oab_au]

Originally Posted by min

i do have a set of rims. i bought tires in the summer for the rims. i put the set of tires that came with the car on for winter. they were only a year old, so i was told. but one of them was bad, so they put on a used tire that matched in tread wear. i am sorry i haven't given more info. i am getting these reports from my son who drives the car. i have an appointment with the subaru dealer on thursday morning. thank you all. you have given me a place to start. i have a feeling i'll be looking at a set of tire. all four, right?

Min, I reckond that you will be looking at a $300/$400 job, replacing the C solenoid/transfer valve assemble, I would replace the Transfer clutch plates, while they have the rear of the transmission off.

Harvey.